


General Vicinity

by africancat



Category: On My Block (TV)
Genre: F/M, Getting Together, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 12:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19426090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/africancat/pseuds/africancat
Summary: "Ruby! You know you've been staring at Jasmine for like, ten straight minutes?!""What? I'm not staring at Jasmine. She just happens to occupy a space within the general vicinity that is actually holding my attention."And yeah, he doesn't believe himself either.





	General Vicinity

She's not even doing anything special. It's Jasmine doing very Jasmine things, so why has Ruby been staring at her for the past minute? Okay, maybe three… Five minutes, whatever, the point is he shouldn't be staring at all. 

Nothing's interesting about watching someone across a courtyard talk in a manner bordering on enthusiastic and aggressive accompanied by very active hand motions which honestly, should be quite distracting, so Ruby has no idea how any of the girls Jasmine's talking to are following. Well, their eyes are wide and they just keep nodding so they probably _aren't_ following, but why should Ruby even care about a conversation he's not in happening more than five feet in front of him when he's supposed to be— 

"Ruby!" Monse shouts, waving her hands in his face. He finally tears his eyes away from Jasmine to look at her, and Monse groans loudly. 

"God, you know you've been staring at her for, like, ten straight minutes?!"

"What?" Ruby scoffs, shrugging one shoulder before laughing nervously, "I'm not staring at anyone." 

"You're staring at Jasmine. Really hard. Like the kind of staring that means you're trying to kill someone with your mind, _or_ you're trying to kill them for real later on, and just figuring out how."

"Pfft, I'm not staring at Jasmine. Jasmine just happens to occupy a space within the general vicinity that is actually holding my attention." 

The whole table squints at him as if asking does he even believe himself, and no, he doesn't, but if you lie you have to commit to it. Without his permission Ruby returns to his previous activity. Besides, they have no reason to shame him. It's not illegal to look at someone even if it's considered a longer period of time than most peo— oh she's looking. She's looking at him. No, she's not. Is she? She is. Oh shit. 

Ruby snaps his head away, and puts his elbow on the table, shielding himself from her. What is this "I can't see you, you can't see me" bullshit?! 

He looks up at the crew, "Did she see me? Is she looking?" Their faces twist into expressions that can only say yikes, and Ruby's stomach drops, "She isn't coming over," They nod violently, "She's coming over?! Shit shit shit—"

Jasmine saunters up to him with this flirty smirk, and Ruby doesn't know whether this is a good or bad outcome of staring a hole into someone's _face._ With one hand on her hip, she lays the other one on his shoulder, and Ruby grits his teeth at the warmth that comes over him. 

"My damas told me you were staring, but I didn't believe it," Jasmine hums to herself and twirls a strand of hair around her finger, "I knew I woke up extra fine this morning," And she laughs, "You're not the first one to notice." 

This should be the moment where Ruby's reacquainted with Jasmine's actual personality and questions why he was staring at her to begin with, but there's a lot of things in the world that should happen, but don't. Trump should've lost the presidential election. iPhone users shouldn't look down on Android users considering Apple treats them like absolute, and utter shit. Beyonce probably should've won that best female music video award at the 2009 MTV VMAs especially considering "Single Ladies" won video of the year, even though her _not_ winning gave the internet one of the most iconic memes which proves even a loss for Beyonce is truly a win. 

"He's staring again." 

Glaring at Monse, Ruby shouts, "I am not nor have I ever been staring! And I wasn't staring," He looks up at Jasmine, "Ever. There was no staring." 

"Except there was, and he was doing it," Cesar says.

Jamal winces, "Like really hard." 

Monse adds, "Like he wanted to kidnap you, and was already deciding between nylon ropes or zip ties." 

Jamal scoffs, "Zip ties. Always zip ties." 

"Oh my God, shut up! Everyone shut up! There was no staring, I wasn't staring, I don't even know what staring is, but it doesn't matter if I know what it is, because it. Didn't. Happen." 

Jasmine shakes her head at him, "Why you lyin'? Boo, just tell me why you were looking me up and down, and we cool." 

"I'm not lying!"

"Oh, so you were staring at the wall?!"

"I didn't-"

"So you like bricks, that's it, huh? You're telling me Geny read you the Three Little Pigs, and you just knew your profession in life would be a bricklayer, is that what you're telling me?!"

Ruby would've never stared at Jasmine if he knew it'd turn into her accusing him of being a bricklayer which is ridiculous because bricks are too common, it's better just to go with a simple paneling, or a rockface, but that really only seems to be appropriate for churches, that's not to say it couldn't work with the right architecture— this is not the time, this is _so_ not the time. Ruby shakes his head, and slams his hands on the table. 

"Alright! Maybe," Ruby clears his throat, _"Maybe_ , I was staring at you. I looked just long enough to qualify the action being referred to as staring, but I have no intention of kidnapping you. And if I did we all know I'd be smarter about it, smart enough not to get caught, because I have excellent planning skills."

Cesar looks at him strangely, "Weird flex, but okay."

Jasmine rolls her eyes, "Okay, Ruby? I don't know if you know this, but none of that answered my question." 

"Fine. I was looking at you for an extended amount of time-"

"Staring!" Monse shouts, throwing her hands in the air with frustration, "You were _staring_ at her!"

Ruby says through clenched teeth, "I don't recall anyone _asking_ you, Monse, so if you don't mind maybe you could _shut your big, fat mouth that never says anything useful anyway_ and let me handle my business. Thank you." 

Monse almost lunges across the table, Cesar barely able to stop her, but Ruby ignores them both, "Like I was saying, the reason I looked at you for a period of time that exceeds the one society deems acceptable is…"

Jasmine raises her eyebrows at him, obviously waiting. And Ruby has no idea how to finish that sentence because there's no real reason. He feels like it's something really obvious he already knows but doesn't want to acknowledge. 

"Okay, so I don't really know why which is a strange and horrible feeling for me because I am not used to not knowing things, that being said I don't want us to focus on the lack of an answer here, because the most important thing is acknowledging the fact that I am just as lost as you are. One might even go as far to say this extended period of eye contact has left us both violated, and in that aspect I must say I'm—"

"Woooow," Jasmine says, shaking her head with a smile as if in wonder, "You are so good at that, talking a lot and saying _nothing."_

Jamal suddenly clears his throat, and they both snap their heads around to look at him.

"At first, this was entertaining, but now I feel it's serious, and creating a bad atmosphere for my pudding cup." 

Ruby glares at him, even though he should be happy because it sounds like he's giving him an out, "Jamal."

His best friend clears his throat, and lifts the pudding cup off his lunch tray, "I am going to open this pudding cup. I am going to peel off the lid of this bad boy reeeaaaal slow, and if we're still talking about you and your _wandering_ eyes-"

"That's not how people use-"

"When I'm done then Cesar's gonna let Monse go so she can beat your ass harder than she did in the fourth grade."

Ruby hisses, "The Incident of 2014 was sworn to secrecy, _how dare you."_

Jamal says, "I dare," And peels back just the corner of his pudding cup, "One." 

This is not best friend behavior, and after this Ruby will have to really reconsider Jamal's title of "best friend." His eyes dart to Monse's which are still fuming as she struggles for Cesar to let her go. He really is in that gang for nothing, he looks like he's about to pop a blood vessel, Jesus. 

Ruby looks back up at Jasmine, and the words that come out next are completely unexpected and therefore terribly honest. 

"Maybe I just like what I see!" 

There's a collective gasp, and out the corner of his eye Ruby sees Jamal lean back with so much shock his pudding cup drops to the ground, sending all its chocolatey goodness splattering across the concrete. 

"Dammit!" 

It's so funny Ruby laughs for a second before Jasmine grabs his chin and forces him to look back at her. Welp, that was a nice respite from hell. 

Jasmine raises an eyebrow, her eyes piercing his soul, "What did you just say?"

He's been acting like a little bitch denying everything this whole discussion, it may be time for him just to own it. So Ruby puffs out his chest, and doesn't look away and arguably this is the most intense eye contact he's ever had in his life only second to Geny because at times that woman has no soul. 

"You heard me." 

Feeling emboldened by the surprise in her eyes, Ruby stands up, and gets in Jasmine's face.

"Maybe I just like what I see."

Behind him Ruby hears Cesar whisper, "What is going on?" 

And on this rare occasion, Ruby agrees one hundred percent. Jasmine doesn't seem to be asking that however seeing as this devilish smile comes over her face. 

"Ruby Martinez, I'm gonna kiss you so hard you'll dream about it, baby. Get your sexy ass over here." 

"Woah," And Ruby ducks out from under her reaching arms. The courtyard is not a stage and there is no way he's putting on a show for the entire freshman class. Hard pass. 

Ruby clears his throat, "Remember. Jasmine. The best things come to those who wait."

"What, are you some kind of fortune cookie?!" 

"Woman!" And Ruby steps closer to say under his breath, "What I meant is we can continue this _later."_

Jasmine nods quickly in understanding, and says to the rest of the crew, "Alright, later, fools." 

Shaking his head, Ruby sits back down, and he tunes out whatever the crew's saying to him which is most likely not good. He's too busy wondering if what he's gotten himself into is gonna be a blessing or a curse. But telling from the small smile on his face he's definitely leaning toward a blessing. 


End file.
